Italy to transfer its Afghanistan embassy to Qatar: minister

Cernobbio, Italy: Italy plans to move its Afghan embassy to Doha, in Qatar, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Sunday, the latest indication of Western diplomats setting up permanently outside Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover.

The announcement follows earlier signals that Western countries and the European Union, which have closed their missions in Kabul, may use the Gulf state as an offshore hub for their diplomatic relations with Afghanistan. Many diplomats flew to the Gulf state, which has hosted the Taliban's political office since 2013, after evacuating the Afghan capital late last month.